TaylorMade announces new Daddy Long Legs putter

TaylorMade has announced that it will release the ultra-high MOI Daddy Long Legs on April 15, becoming the next in line of its arachnid family.
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Courtesy photos
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By David Dusek

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Courtesy photo

TaylorMade has announced that it will release the ultra-high MOI Daddy Long Legs on April 15, becoming the next in line of its arachnid family.

Since the first TaylorMade Spider putter was released in 2008, several different models have been added to the arachnid family. There was the smaller-headed Itsy Bitsy Spider, the white Ghost Spider and most recently the Ghost Spider S. Now, with the announcement of the April 15 release of the ultra-high MOI Daddy Long Legs, TaylorMade is trying to take things to another level.

"The goal for Daddy Long Legs was to create the most stable putter we possibly could," says Brian Bazzel, TaylorMade's product creation manager. "To this point, that's what Spider has stood for. It's a very complicated design, with the pieces all working together to create high MOI in the head. Daddy Long Legs is an extreme version of that. It has 16 different pieces and uses eight different materials, all to get the most stable putter head possible."

Bazzel says that the Daddy Long Legs' MOI has been measured at 8,500, which is more than 2,000 units higher than the original Spider.

But when Bazzel talks about the Daddy Long Legs, which will cost $199, he really likes to talk about two different types of stability.

"The stability in the head allows us to get more speed control," he says. "On any slight mis-hits, you're able to maintain the speed because the head resists twisting."

However, because the 395-gram head of the Daddy Long Legs is counterbalanced by the club's 15-inch grip that weighs 130 grams, Bazzel says that the entire putter is more stable. "You pretty much have to force the putter off your intended stroke line," he says. "It's actually very difficult to maneuver the head and manipulate your stroke."

For golfers who switched to a belly putter because their stroke wobbled or swayed due to excessive wrist action or forearm rotation, Bazzel says that the counterbalanced Daddy Long Legs and its super-stable design could provide anchor-like relief.

On the practice green at Innisbrook Resort in Palm Harbor, Fla., before this week's Tampa Bay Championship, Troy Matteson told Bazzel, "You know, the ball goes exactly where I aim it every time."

The Daddy Long Legs will come standard in two lengths, 35 inches or 38 inches, but custom lengths can be ordered. To maximize the effect of the counterbalancing, Bazzel encourages golfers to choke down on the grip and leave an inch or two of the grip exposed above the top hand. For this reason, he encourages golfers who typically play a 33-inch putter to go with the 35-inch model. Golfers who use a 35-inch putter (or longer) should try the 38-incher. Bazzel says that players who use a 34-inch putter have options and should experiment with both versions.

Like the most recent Spider putters, the Daddy Long Legs features a white steel frame that encases a black chassis. A single black alignment line extends from the topline to the back of the club.

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